Toilet tank water saver



sept. 24, 1957 J. c. APP 2,807,024

TOILET TANK WATER SAVER Filed Aug. 30, 1956 23 ATTORNEY United States Patent C) TOILET TANK WATER SAVER John C. Kapp, Somerville, N. J., assignor to John C. Kapp, Inc., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 30, 1956, Serial No. 607,090

Claims. (Cl. 4-18) This invention relates to water tanks and it is more particularly concerned with a device for attachment to the plumbing within a toilettank to improve the functioning thereof.

An important object of the invention is the provision of such a device which is effective to save water used to fill the tank and flush the toilet bowl.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which results in a quick refilling of water in the tank after each flushing of the toilet `and hence reduces noise generated during the refilling cycle.

A further object is the provision of such a device which is simple in operation, inexpensive, easy to install, and which is not likely to get out of order over prolonged periods of use.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description, considered together with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of a typical plumbing installation within a toilet tank, with the device of this invention installed therein, the tank itself being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device by itself.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device by itself.

Referring with more particularity to the drawing in which like numerals designate like parts, the embodiment is illustrated in conjunction with a conventional toilet water tank 11 containing a vertical water inlet pipe 12 surmounted by an assembly which includes a valve 13 and its actuation linkage 14 connected to the arm 15 of a ball float 16. In the uppermost position of the iioat 16, the valve 13 is closed, but when the float is lowered by the fall of the water level in the tank 11, resulting from the escape of water through the ball valve 17, to iiush the toilet, the valve 13 is opened and water flows upwardly through the inlet pipe 12, through the valve 13 and into the tank refill pipe 18. Water also flows from the valve 13 through a secondary outlet tube 19 which normally discharges water directly into the top of standpipe 20 that by-passes the ball valve 17 and refills the toilet bowl after each flushing.

The toilet bowl itself (not shown) includes a trap seal which determines the level of refill water therein. An excess of water delivered to the bowl after this level is reached is wasted by being discharged into the drain pipes. This commonly occurs as the tank 11 is being refilled and impending closure of the valve 13. Since the valve 13 controls the flow of refill water to both the tank yand to the bowl, water will continue running into the bowl through the tube 19 until the water level in the tank is high enough to elevate the float 16 sufficiently to close the valve 14. During this time, any excess water flowing into the bowl from the tube 19 is wasted.

In accordance with the present invention, the waste is reduced or eliminated by inserting into the top of the standpipe 20 a device which comprises a first vertical pipe Mice 21 and a second vertical pipe 22. The pipe 21 is open at the bottom and the pipe 22 is closed at the bottom by a cup 23. The upper end of the tube 21 is connected to the central opening encompassed by a downwardly facing shoulder 24 to rest on the top of the Standpipe 20 of a T-connector 25. The upper end of the pipe 22 is connected to one end 26 of a T-connector 27, the other end 28 being open and projecting upwardly. The central opening 29 of the T-connector 27 is connected by a short tube 30 to an open end 31 of the T-connector 25.

The second pipe 22 is also provided with a weep hole 32 near its upper end, substantially as shown.

The device is installed by slipping the bottom open end of tube 22 into the top end of the standpipe 20 until the shoulder 24 comes to rest against it and shifting the outlet end of the tube 19 to discharge into the pipe 22, substantially as shown in Fig. 1. With the device thus installed, water enters the tank 11 through the refill pipe 18. Also, water fills the pipe 22 and then overflows into the standpipe 20 through tubes 30 yand hence to the bowl. This is the situation at the beginning, As the ball float 16 rises with the level of the water in the tank 11, it closes the valve 13 partially and restricts the flow of water through it. When approximately of the tank is filled, enough water has passed into the toilet bowl to fill the trap seal. Any ladditional amount added would spill over into the drain and be wasted. At this time, when the ball float 16 has risen to nearly the full height, for closure of the valve 13, the flow of water through the valve 13 is relatively low and water entering the pipe 22 spills out through the weep hole 32 at about the same rate that it enters the pipe 22 from the tube 19, the size of the weep hole being such as to accomplish the effect. This augments the water being supplied the water tank 11 through the refill tube 18 and quickly elevates the ball float to close the valve 13.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a toilet water tank flushing and refilling unit having a valve for controlling the ow of fresh water to refill the tank and to refill the toilet bowl through separate outlets from the valve, said unit having a standpipe for receiving water from the valve for refilling the toilet bowl and a tube between the valve and `said standpipe, a device comprising a first vertical pipe having its bottom end open iand disposed within the said standpipe, a second vertical tube adjacent and on the exterior of the first vertical tube, said second vertical tube having its bottom end closed, tubular means connecting said vetrical pipes at their upper ends, said second pipe having a weep hole through the side thereof iat a point below the said tubular means.

2. The combination with a toilet tank flushing and refilling unit having a valve for controlling the flow of fresh water to refill the tank and refill the toilet bowl, said unit having means leading from the valve for conveying water to the tank and separate means leading from the valve for conveying water to the toilet bowl, the latter means including a standpipe and a tube between the valve and standpipe, a device comprising a first vertical pipe disposed in said standpipe, having its bottom end open, a second vertical pipe in the tank on the exterior of the first vertical pipe having its bottom end closed, tubular means mutually connecting said first and second pipes at the upper ends thereof, said second pipe having a weep hole through the side thereof at a point below the said tubular means said tube having its discharge end disposed for discharging Water into said second pipe.

3. The combination as defined by claim l in which the size of the weep hole is substantially the same as the diameter of the tube.

4. A flushing and refilling unit for the Water tank and bowl of a water toilet comprising a standpipe for receiving refill water for the toilet, a vertical pipe adjacent said s-tandpipe having its bottom end closed, tubular means communicating the upper end of said vertical pipe to said standpipe, said vertical pipe having 1a Weep hole through the side thereof below said tubular means, an inlet water pipe, a valve connected to Vthe said pipe for centrolling the ow ofwater therethrough, said valve having two outlets, one of said outlets comprising a pipe having -a discharge opening in the tank for relilling the tank, the other outlet comprising a tube having a discharge end communicating with the said vertical pipe, and means responsive -to the water level in the tank for opening and closing said valve.

5. A device for application to the flushing and reiilling unit ef a toilet tank, said device comprising a first vertical pipe having its bottom end open and being adapted to be disposed in the standpipe of said unit, a second vertical pipe having its bottom end closed, tubular means mutually connecting the upper ends of said vertical pipes, said second pipe having an Qpeping through the side thereof below the level of the said tubular means.

No references cited. 

